Clock-escapement.



PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. I

M SGHUGHT.

CLOCK ESOAPEMENT. APPLIOATIOH FILED FEB. 16, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

M. SCHUGHT.

CLOCK ESCAPEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, 1906 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

s cc WASHINGTON, v. c.

' bodying the present invention.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLOCK-ESCAPEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed February 16. 1906. Serial No. 301,344.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MAX ScHUon'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mil- Waukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clock-Escapements, of which the following is a speci iication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The main objects of this invention are to reduce friction in the escapement, to remove the drag or resistance of a constant connection with the actuating-train from the pendulum, to enable a clock to run for a long time without rewinding, and generally to improve the construction and operation of devices of this class.

It consists in certain novel features of construction and in the peculiar arrangement and combinations of parts, as hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings like characters designate the same parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation, on a greatlyenlarged scale, of a clock-escapement em- Fig. 2 is a side elevation and cross-section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1; and Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail views of parts of the mechanism.

The pendulum a terminates at its lower end in a point or projection Z) and is provided with a delicately-yielding and pivoted pawl c, the movement of which relative to the pendulum is limited by a keeper (Z.

c is the scape-wheel, having teeth constructed and arranged when released to engage one aiter another with the point or projection b of the pendulum and to impart impulses thereto at intervals.

f is a rotary cylindrical detent provided with an arm g, projecting radially therefrom and cut away on one side or formed with a recess ZL to receive and permit the passage one after another of the teeth of the scapewheel. This detent is constructed and arranged to normally engage with a tooth of the scape-wheel, as shown in Fig. 1, and to hold said wheel quiescent in such position that the point or projection Z) of the pendulum will clear the two uppermost teeth.

i is a gear-wheel-concentric or coaxial with the detent f and capable of turning independently thereof. It is provided on one side with a pin or projection j, into whose path the arm g of the detent projects.

A toothed wheel 7t, fixed on the arbor oi a pinion Z, meshing with the gear 2', is arranged in the path of the pawl c on the pendulum, and upon the same arbor is fixed an arm m, having its outer end laterally extending. The path described by the outer end of this arm intersects the path described by the outer end of the arm g.

0 is a pivoted gravity-dog engaging with the teeth of the pinion Z, as shown in Fig. 4, and preventing backward rotation of the toothed wheel it by the pawl c.

The escapement operates as -follows: At each swing of the pendulum to the right, as shown in Fig. 1, the pawl c engages with a tooth of the wheel Zc,turning it an interval corresponding with a single tooth. In the backward swing of the pendulum to the left 1 the pawl c swings and yields freely toward the pendulum and rides lightly over the succeeding tooth of the wheel 7c without e'll'ect thereon and without appreciable e'ilect on the movement of the pendulum; With each partial turn of the wheel the'gear t is turned an interval by the pinion Z, the direction of rotation of the several parts of the escapement being indicated by arrows on Fig. l. The gear i being thus turned step by step, the pin j is carried into engagement with the arm 9 and then turns the detentf with it and carries the recess 72/ toward the tooth of the scape-wheel 0 held by said detent. \Vhen the detent is thus brought to releasing position, as shown in Fig. 1, the arm 9 is carried into the path of the arm m, which thereupon with the next partial turn of the wheel it 'from the position in which it is shown in the same 'ligure engages and instantly throws the arm g forward, turning the detent f far enough to release the tooth of the scape-wheel 0 held thereby. This tooth, instantly passing into and out of the recess h by engagement with the advance side or edge of said recess, turns the detent f into position to catch and stop the next succeeding tooth of the scape-wheel, said recess being carried out oi the path of the last-mentioned tooth. The tooth next in advance of the tooth just released immediately 'following and engaging, as indi cated. by dotted lines on Fig. 1, with the point or projection b of the pendulum as it swings to the right imp arts an impulse thereto. These operations being repeated, as

above explained, impulses are imparted to the pendulum at sufliciently frequent intervals to keep it in vibration, while during the intervals between the impulses the pendulum swings freely without obstruction or impediment to its movement, being disconnected and free from the actuating-train. The laterally-extended end of the arm m, standing after the release of each tooth of the sc ape-wheel by the detent f in the path of the arm g, as shown in Fig. 5, prevents the overthrow of the detent by the advance of the released tooth of the scape-wheel into position to clear and permit the passage of the succeeding tooth until the gear-wheel i has made another complete revolution and its pin j by engagement with the arm g has turned the detent f again to releasing position in the manner above explained.

As shown in the drawings, the wheel 7c and the pinion Z each have eight teeth, the geart has forty-eight teeth, and the scape-wheel c has ten teeth, so that the gear "L makes one complete revolution and releases the scapewheel once to every six revolutions of the wheel and every ninety-six vibrations of the pendulum, and the scape-wheel makes one complete revolution to every ten revolutions of the gear i; but the number of teeth which the several wheels have may be varied without afiecting the essential mode of operation and principle of the escapement.

By the application of an escapement of this kind to a clock having a movement like or similar to those of thirty-day clocks now in use it may be made to run a year without rewinding.

Various changes in the details of construc tion and arrangement of parts, particularly in the mechanism for communicating movement from the pendulum to the detent which holds and releases the scape-wheel,may be made without departing from the principle and intended scope of the invention.

I claim 1. In a clock the combination with the pendulum, of a scape-wheel having teeth constructed and arranged to engage one after another with the pendulum and to impart impulses thereto when said wheel is released, a stop adapted to normally hold said wheel against turning, and st0pactuating mechanism operated by the pendulum and adapted to intermittently release said wheel at inter vals, each including several oscillations of the pendulum in each direction, substan tially as described.

2. In a clocl :escapement the combination with the pendulum, of a scape-wheel the teeth of which are constructed and arranged to engage with and impart impulses to the pendulum; a rotary detent normally engaging a tooth of the scape-wheel and holding said wheel in such position that its teeth will be cleared by the pendulum, a wheel provided with a projection arranged to engage with said detent and to turn it to releasing position, and mechanism operated by the pendulum to turn said detent-actuating wheel, substantially as described.

3. In a clock-escapement the combination with the pendulum, of a scape-wheel having teeth constructed and arranged to engage one after another with the pendulum and to impart impulses thereto at intervals, a 1'0- tary cylindrical detent arranged to normally engage with a tooth of the scape-wheel and hold it clear of the pendulum, and recessed on one side to receive and permit the passage of such tooth, and a wheel actuated by the pendulum and adapted to turn said detent, substantially as described.

4. In a clock-escapement, the combination. with the pendulum provided with. a pawl, of a scape-wheel adapted when released to en.- gage with and impart impulses to the pendulum, a rotary detent adapted to normally ongage with a tooth of said wheel and provided with an arm, a wheel having a projection arranged to engage with the arm of said detent and turn it to releasing position, and a toothed wheel actuated by the pawl on the pendulum, geared with said detent-turning wheel and provided with an arm arranged to quickly turn the detent forward into releasing position when its arm is engaged by the other arm, substantially as described.

5. In a clock-escapement the combination with the pendulum provided with a pawl, of a scape-wheel having teeth normally clearing the pendulum and adapted when released to engage therewith one after another and to impart impulses thereto, a rotary detent nor mally engaging with a tooth of said Wheel and provided with an arm and with a recess for clearing and releasing such tooth, a gear wheel having a projection arranged to engage with the arm of said detent and to turn the detent to releasing position at each revolution of the gear-wheel, a toothed. wheel actuated by the pawl on the pendulum and pro vided with an arm arranged to quickly turn the detent forward into releasing position when its arm is engaged by the other arm which is extended at the end and serves as a stop to prevent overthrow of the detent after each release of the scape-wheel, and a pinion mounted on the toothed wheel-arbor and meshing with said gear-wheel, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I hereto at l ix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MAX SCIIUCI-Il.

Witnesses CHAS. L. Goss, E. T. WRIGHT. 

